With Foster Homes Idle and Children Languishing, Catholic Agency Fights Back Against Philadelphia LGBT Policy Barring It

Although at least 250 children in Philadelphia are in need of foster homes, 35 homes willing to take them in are still waiting—and the private religious charity that could bring them together is fighting back against a city that doesn’t want its help.

After a 50-year relationship with Catholic Social Services, the city decided to end the latter’s role in foster care referrals in March and is threatening to terminate its relationship with the leading provider of social services in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. But the private social services agency has taken the city to court over it.

“[The city of Philadelphia made this decision] because of Catholic Social Services’ religious beliefs regarding marriage,” Lori Windham, senior counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, said in a recent conference call for the press. Becket is a nonprofit public interest law firm that defends the freedom of religion.

While Catholic Social Services does not require applicants to be Catholic, applicants do have to be married, although single parents are eligible if the birth parent of the child is OK with it. Its website does not specify sexual-orientation requirements for applicants.

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